Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., has a blunt message for voters: the Senate hasn’t done a damn thing to lower prices, and he says it himself.
“We’ve been spending all week on trying to make the football coaches happy.”
That’s Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., speaking about the Senate’s focus on the Protect College Sports Act rather than affordability concerns. The Senate is expected to leave Washington on Wednesday for the midterm election campaign trail, and Republicans are facing a simple question from voters: what have you actually done?
The Football Coach Problem
The Senate has spent its final weeks focused on passing the Protect College Sports Act rather than addressing voters’ cost-of-living concerns. Hawley said, “I’m just hoping that this will be the best bill ever passed by the United States Senate considering the ungodly amount of time we’ve spent on it.” He also quipped, “So maybe this will be the most perfect and pristine piece of legislation ever.”
He added, “There’s a lot of things we could be doing and should be doing. So I hope we’ll do those before we leave. We’ll see.”
Kennedy criticized the focus on football coaches directly. “Because we haven’t done a damn thing. And it’s biting us in the ass right now,” he said.
The Big, Beautiful Bill
Republicans point to one signature achievement from last year as proof they took affordability seriously: the “big, beautiful bill.” It was used as a pitch during the midterm convention in Dallas.
But the Senate has faced several shutdowns and partisan fights since then, while affordability concerns have grown. From the summer of 2025 to now, the issue has only gotten worse.
Hawley’s list of issues included fuel, prescription drugs, health care, and the financial burden of the AI boom, each ending with the word “costs.”
What the Senate Is Actually Voting On
Thune has set up what will likely be the Senate’s last attempt at dealing with affordability: a vote this week on a bill requiring AI companies to bear the brunt of rising utility costs from data centers. That bill, from Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, is expected to be blocked by Democrats.
Kennedy and others have pressured Thune to try reconciliation on affordability issues or pass a bill shielding consumers from rising electricity costs tied to the AI boom.
Tillis on Leadership
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., recalled winning the North Carolina House and becoming speaker by promising to fix the economy. He argued that rationalizing the current situation as a problem caused by the prior administration is not good politics.
“That’s how you actually show some leadership and get it done. You can’t rationalize that we’re here because of a problem caused by the prior administration. That’s how we got elected. But you gotta fix it if you promise to. And that’s what we have to work on. I just think rationalizing away, that’s just not good politics,” Tillis said.
Vance’s Plea
Vice President JD Vance asked voters earlier this month to “give us another chance.”
When asked about Vance’s plea, Tillis responded, “You know what? If it works, it’ll be a first.”
The Senate’s next move on affordability is uncertain. The Husted bill faces strong Democratic opposition and is unlikely to pass. The question hangs over every Republican running this fall: what have you actually done?
The answer, according to Kennedy, is nothing. And that’s biting them in the ass right now.
Where the paper stands
The paper backs Sen. Josh Hawley’s blunt message that the Senate hasn’t lowered prices and Sen. John Kennedy’s admission about pleasing football coaches over affordability, while being against the Senate leaving Washington before midterms without delivering on cost-of-living relief. The paper’s north star is individual freedom, support for small business, and avoiding concentrations of power, whether in government or business.
The story shows the Senate spending its final weeks on the Protect College Sports Act while voters worry about the cost of living. Kennedy’s complaint that the Senate has done nothing is a direct acknowledgment of the disconnect between what the chamber is doing and what people want. Hawley’s frustration with the time spent on the bill reflects a similar view that priorities are misplaced.
The paper would prefer the Senate address voters’ actual concerns—fuel, prescription drug, health care, and AI costs—before heading home for the midterm campaign. Instead, the chamber appears ready to vote on a bill that likely will be blocked by Democrats. That outcome leaves Republicans with little to show for their work.
Source material: “Republicans fear they ‘haven’t done a damn thing’ to lower prices ahead of midterm reckoning,” Fox News.
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